No Virginia, There Are No Miracles

It can finally be revealed that it was all a stunt.


Since April 6, organizers behind the Basilica Block Party and agency Periscope have launched several unusual activations to raise awareness for the annual Minneapolis music festival.

“Playing off the stereotype of miraculous happenings, we eluded to potential miracles you could witness by attending the Basilica Block Party," says Peter Nicholson, chief creative officer, Periscope. The Basilica Block Party began in 1995 as a fundraiser to help pay for the structural restoration of The Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis, where Periscope is based. 

Today, proceeds from the event benefit The Basilica Landmark, which preserves, restores and advances the historic Basilica of Saint Mary for all generations, as well as the Basilica’s St. Vincent de Paul outreach program, which provides services to those in need.

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This "Witness It" concept introduced a fictional faux fem punk group called Hell Hath No Fury — similar to Russia's Pussy Riot — that trolled the Basilica on social media. The campaign spread to guerilla advertising, evangelical-like messaging via billboards, digital and radio buys, as well as online video.

The "band" then vandalized billboards that Periscope created for the block party and hung a sign from the Basilica church itself.

The campaign took to its social media pages to help invite further conversation. "We are saddened to learn of the recent vandalism on our billboards. If you have any information, please contact us at blockparty@mary.org," said one Twitter message.

The campaign also introduced a "miracologist" – a fictional expert that specializes in miracles. He explained different “unexplainable occurrences” that led up to the Basilica event, including an accordion that possesses all who play — dubbed the Polka-geist — and a parrot that predicts the line up each year in several videos released across social media.

The project attracted massive attention, including local media mentions, but it also illustrated the challenges when a project turns out to be a planned stunt.

One key source of chatter — after the band hung the vandalized sign from the church, concert organizers invited the band as official participants. Several fans took to social media to proclaim their unhappiness over this decision.

Fans posted, "Either it was a publicity stunt by the Basilica or they caved to whiners," "Why would you reward bad behavior? Also? Their music is so not a fit with the rest. Totally disappointed." Finally, one summed it up by writing: "So it was a stunt all along. That's annoying."

Other stunts that also raised ire from residents included distributing branded tokens around the festival's location. "So, you littered downtown with tons of plastic to market Basilica Block Party," said one Facebook user.

“People may not expect the church to be so involved with a concert event like this, and with this on-the-edge messaging, we definitely toe the line in a cheeky way," says Meghan Gustafson, event manager, Basilica Block Party.

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